CHENEY, WA — Eastern Washington took the lead twice in the first period, but the SFU Men’s Hockey Team rallied to take the final score 5-2.

“It took a while for us to get going and into the flow of things,” said head coach Mark Coletta.

About two and a half minutes into the first period, Eagles forward Taylor Bargar put in his first goal of the season to put them up 1-0. Just 1:25 later, Jaret Babych put up the first of his two goals, assisted by Braxton Bilous and Darnel St Pierre, to tie up the game.

Midway through the period, EWU took the lead again on the power play. With 28 seconds left in the period, however, Mathew Berry-Lamontagna put up his eighth of the season to head into the intermission tied.

SFU outshot EWU 22-9 in the first.

The Clan took control of the game at the end of the second frame. With 4:12 left in the period, Eric Callegari sniped top shelf to give SFU their first lead, on the back of a smart defensive play by St Pierre. Babych’s second of the night came with 1:42 left in the second frame to put SFU up 4-2.

Playing in his first game for the Clan, former WHL forward Nic Holowko found his way on the scoresheet, putting up his first career BCIHL goal midway through the third period. Robert Izsak notched the assist.

“We’re trying him out on the third line right now, and see where that goes in the next week or two, and try to work him into different spots,” Coletta said of Holowko. “He played well. I think he controls the puck really well, good puck protection, he’s got a great body, he throws his weight around. He’s crafty out there and he’s got a good sense of the game.”

It was an efficient night for the blue line as all dressed defencemen got on the scoreboard — Bilous, St Pierre, Berry-Lamontagna, Jayden Piattelli, and Austin Adam all put up points.

Lyndon Stanwood made 29 saves on 31 shots (.935 SV%). SFU had 44 shots.

Tonight, SFU takes the drive up north to face the Selkirk College Saints, who sit one spot ahead of them in standings at second place. SFU is 1-1 against Selkirk, having lost the previous matchup in Castlegar.

“Definitely a tough place to play, we’re going to have to use our team speed, stay out of the penalty box, and just make sure we’re doing the little things right — not turning the puck over, make sure we get into the game nice and early, and don’t chase it. We’re going to have to try and dictate the pace of play,” said Coletta.

The game will be streamed live on HockeyTV. Puck drop is at 7 pm.

Three Stars:
1st Star: SFU #24 Jaret Babych (2G, 1A)
2nd Star: SFU #27 Darnel St Pierre (0G, 1A)
3rd Star: SFU #11 Nic Holowko (1G, 0A)

AROUND THE BCIHL: VIU won round one of back-to-back games against their Island rival UVic 6-3 in Victoria. Alex Milligan led the way for the Mariners with two goals, one of four players on the team to record multi-point nights. Liam Shaw put up two goals for UVic, but it was not enough. The two teams rematch tonight in Nanaimo at 8 pm.